Monday, January 25, 2010

Enough with catching up.. starting fresh

Welcome back,



So it seems like I have been on a long sabbatical- taking time out for myself, working on my book, and spending a lot of time with family. Try as I might, this blog has become less of a daily activity for me. I am almost 30 years ago now and well it's hard to juggle everything (as I'm sure most to you will agree!) That being said, this blog will be updated whenever possible; but I'm not pressuring myself anymore to get it done. I have proven myself that I can maintain a blog and deal with the reality of real deadlines. It's about time I started getting out there and living my life. My readers would probably appreciate this blog more if it had more quality articles rather than quantity. That's going to be my new goal- providing new and up to date information.


Today's topic of information: A Nick News Special aired last night entitled "The Face of Courage: Kids Living with Cancer". This 30 minute program openly discusses in child- friendly terms what it means to have cancer, its treatment, and the overall physical as well as emotional impact of the disease. I know what you are thinking, "But it's not a disability.." In its own way, it can be. These kids are limited sometimes by what they can do because of the cancer. They are sometimes treated differently because of their circumstances; they are often considered "contagious". But as Linda Ellerbee explains, "Today, the diagnosis of cancer is not an automatic death sentence. You're about to meet some kidswho are living with cancer and although the road these kids travel is not an easy one, it is a road paved with hope, strength, and courage."


At its core, cancer is a disease categoried by "bad" cells self replicating to create tumors. These spread rapidly, destroying destroying the healthy tissue or bone. This can occur throughout the body, depending on the type of cancer someone has.



"Your life just changes the minute you find out," one girl says.


There are three types of treatment when dealing with cancer. The most typical is chemotherapy and radiation. Chemotherapy is a powerful combination of drugs usually given through an IV in an effort to destroy the cells. Radiation, on the other hand, shoots x-rays directly to the impacted area, in effect shrinking the cancer. Typical side effects of chemotherapy include nausea and the loss of one's hair.


This disease is not something you can get over, it often requires reoccurring doctor appointments and medical related treatments. This can result in a lot of kids being homeschooled or kept out of school .Tantyani from Avon, Massachusetts was in the hospital for seven months for leukemia (cancer of the blood)


"You never knew how precious life was to you until you're at the hospital while the rain is dripping down, you feel all this emptiness. Meanwhile, you learn all of these new life lessons, like instead of being depressed and mad, create something from that." She said


In some scenarios, however, it requires a more aggressive solution. This was the case of Alexandra from Brooklyn New York and Hector from Bronx, New York. Alexandra had to have a right leg removed because it was spreading so quickly while Hector had to his right eye removed because he had cancer of the soft tissue around the eye.


"It was hard because I knew I was going to look different from other people," Hector said


This special was very informative and I apologize I was not able to copy all of the inspirational quotes from the show. This show skipped from scenario to scenario and it was difficult to keep track of who said what. I have included the show information below for those who want to inquire more.

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Citation for TV Program: "The Face Of Courage: Kids Living with Cancer" , Nickelodeon Prime Time Channel 253 , at 11 PM, January 24, 2010

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